It's Greek to Me Wiki
It's All Greek to Me! The ancient Greeks gave us many things: democracy, philosophy, geometry and lots of other -y words and even some non-y words! Yes, you can blame the Greeks for the dreaded Pythagorean theorem, but you can also thank them for giving us the basis of Western civilization. So remember that the next time you're sitting in geometry class! Another great legacy that was left to us by the Greeks is their stories. The myths, legends and tales of ancient Greece are still influencing our society today. You have studied many of those stories in a great epic poem by Homer called "The Odyssey". This pathfinder is going to help you continue to explore the civilization of the ancient Greeks. Original Greek sources So where did all this information about Greek gods and culture come from? Well, we've learned most of what we know from the art and literature of ancient Greece. The poems, plays, sculptures and other artwork left by the Greeks tell the stories of what they believed and at the same time shed light on just what it was like to live in ancient Greece. The oldest of these works were written by a man named Homer. No, not Homer Simpson, just Homer. He wrote The Iliad and The Odyssey. These are both considered epic poems and they tell the stories of the Trojan War. These books about The Odyssey and The Iliad can be found in the St. Stephens library: Homer edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom. (Series: Bloom's Guides) 883 HOM Homer's The Odyssey, edited & with an introduction by Harold Bloom. (Series: Bloom's guides) 883 HOM Homer's The Iliad, edited & with an introduction by Harold Bloom. (Series: Bloom's guides) 883 HOM Understanding the Odyssey : a student casebook to issues, sources, and historic documents by Claudia D. Johnson 883 JOH Homer's the Iliad and the Odyssey : a biography by Alberto Manguel 883 MAN There are also 2 graphic novel versions of The Odyssey: The Odyssey by Tim Mucci The Odyssey: a graphic novel by Gareth Hinds Greek gods The ancient Greeks were polytheistic. That's not a disease, so don't worry! It just means that they believed in many gods. The Greek gods were portrayed like humans, both physically as well as characteristically. Just like humans, the gods had good and bad personality traits. There were 12 main Greek gods, called the Olympians because they lived on Mt. Olympus. The entire pantheon of gods were ruled over by one god, Zeus. The 3 brothers, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades are the sons of Cronus and divided up ruling the sky, the sea and the underworld. Here is a description of the 12 Olympians and several other important gods. [http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/p/Zeus.htm Zeus]: Zeus was the god of the sky and weather. He was also the king of the other gods and they all had to obey him. [http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/herajunomyth/p/080407Hera.htm Hera]: She was the goddess of marriage and is sometimes portrayed as the very jealous wife of Zeus. [http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/p/Aphrodite.htm Aphrodite]: The goddess of love, she was born from the sea where she rose full grown from the sea foam. She is the wife of Hephaestus. [http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/p/Ares.htm Ares]: He is the son of Hera and for humans, he is the god of war. He has a quick temper and is not well-liked by the other gods. He is often linked romantically to Aphrodite. [http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/p/Apollo.htm Apollo]: He is the son of Zeus and a very important god. He is the god of poetry, music and light. He is the twin of Artemis and one of his temples is located at the Oracle of Delphi. [http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/p/Artemis.htm Artemis]: She is also the daughter of Zeus and the twin sister of Apollo. She is the goddess of the hunt and the moon. Even thought she is always portrayed as virginal, she is also the goddess of childbirth. [http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/p/Athena.htm Athena]: She is the daughter of Zeus and she was born by springing fully grown from inside his head. She is the goddess of wisdom, arts and crafts, and the goddess of war strategy. The city of Athens is named after her because she gave the city the gift of the olive tree. [http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/hephaestusmyth/g/Hephaestus.htm Hephaestus]: He is the son of Hera but he was raised by foster parents because he is lame. He is the god of fire and blacksmiths and the husband of Aphrodite. [http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/poseidonmyth/p/Poseidon.htm Poseidon]: He is the brother of Zeus and is the god of the sea. He created horses out of the foam of sea waves and gave them to mankind as a gift. [http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/p/Hermes.htm Hermes]: He is the son of Zeus. He is the god of travelers, thiefs and those who live by their wits. He is also the messenger for the gods because he is so fast. [http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/p/Demeter.htm Demeter]: She is the sister of Zeus and the goddess of harvest and agriculture. She is also important in the regulation of the seasons. [http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/p/Dionysus.htm Dionysus]: Everyone is familiar with the famous god of wine and revelry! He is the son of Zeus. Another important god who is not considered part of the Olympians is [http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/p/Hades.htm Hades], god of the underworld. Other gods and goddesses that are important include: Persephone, Hestia, Eros, Cronus, Rhea, Uranus, and Gaia. There are a lot more Greek gods out there. The 12 Olympians are just enough to whet your appetite. So, you might be interested in reading more about these and other gods. If so, here are some books about Greek gods that you can find in the library at SSHS! Mythology by Edith Hamilton 291.13 HAM Ancient Greece and Rome : myths and beliefs by Tony Allan 292 ALL Scylla and Charybdis by Bernard Evslin 292 EVS The Complete Idiot's Guide to Classical Mythology by Kevin Osborne 292.1 OSB Medusa by Kris Hirschmann 398.2 HIR Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty by Teri Temple 398.2 TEM Apollo : god of the sun, healing, music, and poetry by Teri Temple 398.2 TEM Ares god of war by Teri Temple 398.2 TEM Artemis goddess of hunting and protector of animals by Teri Temple 398.2 TEM Athena goddess of wisdom, war and crafts by Teri Temple 398.2 TEM Eros god of love by Teri Temple 398.2 TEM Hades god of the underworld by Teri Temple 398.2 TEM Hephaestus god of fire, metalwork and building by Teri Temple 398.2 TEM Cool websites for learning more There are some pretty, well, epic websites out there to learn more about Ancient Greece, Greek mythology and The Odyssey. In fact, there are so many out there, you might feel like Odysseus trying to get back home as you try to navigate them! Check out greekmythology.com for a good, basic overview of Greek mythology. There is also a fab family tree of the Greek gods so that you can try to figure out how everyone is related. Good luck with that! The Theoi Project was created by Aaron Atsma in New Zealand. It is very comprehensive and is a good source of reliable information. It also has a family tree and lots of information about less important deities and beings. It also includes lots of information about Greek mythology as it's found in art. Encyclopedia Mythica has a huge section on Greek mythology. It is found on pantheon.org. There are currently 627 different articles pertaining to Greek mythology on that website. MythWeb is just epic! It has lots of information about Greek gods and it also has a cool online adventure game called "Wrath of the Gods"! Check it out at www.mythweb.com While Greek Mythology for Kids is really more for elementary school students, it still has some interesting stuff on it. There are power points and videos as well as games, stories, clip art and audio files. Still confused? No worries! The Myth Man can help! If you click on "Homework Help", he has lots of links to information about gods, stories, the Greek alphabet, the Trojan War, Greek pronunciation and there's even a quiz link. Paleothea is a website devoted to women in Greek mythology. How do you say "Girl Power" in ancient Greek? Other schools make pathfinders too. Another pathfinder about Greek mythology is from Harding Middle School and it may have some different information from this pathfinder. The Lost Info doesn't really have different information, but there is a gallery of pictures and you can email the information that you want to yourself or to someone else! It also has a search feature. Cave Springs Middle School in Roanoke, Virginia has a neat page called Mythology Links. There are links for Greek mythology, but other mythologies as well. Maybe you want to compare ancient Greece to ancient Egypt? Info please has a section on Greek Mythology and Literature that is full of information as well as quizzes and crossword puzzles. All About Ancient Greece There's more to Ancient Greece than just stories and gods. The history of Ancient Greece is very important because the Greeks gave us so many of the ideas that are the basis for modern Western society. Here you will find websites about culture and society of the Ancient Greeks. You can find lots of information here at Ancient Greece.com. The British Museum has this cool site about Ancient Greece, which is fitting since they stole half the stuff in Greece to put in the museum! The BBC has a Primary History website about Ancient Greece and it even has funny little cartoon Ancient Grecians! The History Channel has a cool site on Ancient Greece that has videos too! There are a lot of sites out there about Ancient Greece made just for kids. Some of the information there is still useful to you, such as: Mr. Donn's website on Ancient Greece On this website, you can click on almost anything imaginable, even video clips! History for Kids Just see the note for Mr.Donne's website above. :) Books about Ancient Greece The following books about Ancient Greece can be found here in our library at SSHS: Important Greeks Greek food We all know that food is the most important part of any culture, right? The Greeks love to eat and drink! Here you will find some websites and books about Greek cuisine. What are you waiting for? Start cooking up some stuffed grape leaves! Check out www.greekcuisine.com where you can find recipes, restaurant information, cookbooks and even order specialty Greek foods. How About Some Greek Tonight is a website that has lots of different things about Greek cuisine, including descriptions of the herbs and spices used in the cooking, regional recipes and free recipe e-books. There are also sections on Greek history and photographs of Greece. Greek-Recipe is similar but has a whole section with photographs of Greek food as well as a quiz! Matt Barrett's Travel Guide to Greece has a lot of information about Greek cuisine and how to order and eat in Greece as well as recipes. These books are available at Catawba County Library: The New Greek Cuisine by Jim Botsacos The Grecian plate / compiled by the Hellenic Ladies Society, St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, Durham, North Carolina Vefa's kitchen by Vefa Alexiadou The philosopher's kitchen : recipes from ancient Greece and Rome for the modern cook by Francine Segan The Frugal gourmet cooks three ancient cuisines : China, Greece, and Rome by Jeff Smith You can find the following books at Patrick Beaver Library: Cooking the Greek way by Lynne W. Villios The foods of the Greek islands : cooking and culture at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, including some recipes by Jim Botsacos of Molyvos restaurant and Aglaia Kremezi How to roast a lamb : new Greek classic cooking by Michael Psilakis with Brigit Binns & Ellen Shapiro ; foreword by Barbara Kafka ; photography by Christopher Hirsheimer & Melissa Hamilton Just for Fun websites Really want to know more about Greek mythology? About.com has a Greek mythology newsletter! You can sign up for it here. Also on About.com, you can take this quiz to see which Greek goddess you are! Boys! Don't feel left out! You can take this quiz to see which Greek hero you are! Think you know a lot about Greek mythology already? There are some quizzes that will help you test your knowledge. Try this tough quiz on the genealogy of early Greek gods. A Dionysus quiz An Aphrodite quiz A quiz about epics! A quiz on Demeter Hermes quiz Quizzes on the Odyssey Odyssey I Odyssey II Odyssey XI Ok, ok. Some of you don't think that quizzes are fun. Behind the Name really is just for fun. It has a lot of the names of people from Greek history and mythology and it tells what their names would mean in English. For example, Achilles comes from the Greek word for "pain", which he had a lot of when that arrow hit his heel! Want to learn how to make your very own Medusa using a toilet paper roll? Then DLTK Kids is the place for you! No, this is not a joke. Just go look at it. Fiction The stories of Ancient Greece are still very popular and many authors write books that re-tell those famous stories. These books can be found at the library here at SSHS: Abandon by Meg Cabot Pegasus by Robin McKinley The Great God Pan by Donna Jo Napoli The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan Troy by Adele Geras Age of Bronze, Volume 1: A Thousand Ships by Eric Shanower Age of Bronze, Volume 2: Sacrifice by Eric Shanower Age of Bronze, Volume 3A: Betrayal Part One by Eric Shanower Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor There's a lot more fiction out there that deals with Greek mythology. Some are set in ancient Greece and some are set in modern day! Here's a huge list. Each link will take you to the local library (Catawba County or Patrick Beaver) if it's available at either one. If not, it links to Barnes and Noble or Amazon booksellers. This list of books takes place in ancient Greece: The King of Ithaka by Tracy Barrett Ithaka by Adele Geras The Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley Quicksilver by Stephanie Spinner Ithaka by Adele Geras Destined by Jessie Harrell Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett King of Ithaka by Tracy Barrett Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman Lost in the Labyrinth by Patrice Kindl The Moon Riders by Theresa Tomlinson A recent theme in books for teens has been moving the stories of Greek mythology into present day. These books are set in present day and are very suspenseful or serious: Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs Sweet Shadows by Tera Lynn Childs Fury by Elizabeth Miles Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton Siren by Tricia Rayburn Siren’s Storm by Lisa Papademetriou Betrayal by Mayandree Michel This is in e-book format only, but it's only $0.99! Airborne by Constance Sharper This is also in e-book format only, but it's only $1.99! Lure by Stephanie Jenkins Again, e-book format only, but at $0.99, you can't beat it! The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter Goddess, Interrupted by Aimee Carter Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini Dreamless by Josephine Angelini Abandon #2: Underworld by Meg Cabot Falling Under by Gwen Hayes Orfe by Cynthia Voigt The Greeks brought comedy as well as tragedy to the world. The following books take a more light-hearted look at Greek myths: Sirenz by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman Sirenz Back in Fashion by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs Goddess Boot Camp by Tera Lynn Childs After you've read the Percy Jackson novels, National Geographic has a Quiz Your Noodle interactive quiz on Greek mythology. Really, you don't even have to read the novels to know the answers. References # Greek mythology. (2011). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-65484 My Page Log In Help